


Exhaustion

by graceandfire



Series: Brightness Burns [3]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Mirror Universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-03
Updated: 2013-07-03
Packaged: 2017-12-17 13:21:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/868016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graceandfire/pseuds/graceandfire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this is, uhm, Mirror Universe schmoop.  Sort of??</p><p>Jim is exhausted.  First contact with an alien race under the mistaken impression that they’re the badasses and just close enough to actually being the badasses that it’s taken a full three days of non-stop cat and mouse warfare to drive home the lesson that they’re the mice.  So now the Empire has a new subjugated people to exploit and he’s been running on ten minute naps for three days straight and he is *#*(#%** tired...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Exhaustion

Jim is exhausted.  First contact with an alien race under the mistaken impression that they’re the badasses and just close enough to actually _being_ the badasses that it’s taken a full three days of non-stop cat and mouse warfare to drive home the lesson that they’re the mice.  So now the Empire has a new subjugated people to exploit and he’s been running on ten minute naps for three days straight and he is fucking _tired._

 

He pauses as he exits the turbo lift nearest to his quarters.  He’ll bet his knife collection that McCoy is still running himself ragged in Sickbay trying to save the wounded, mostly the prisoners they’ve taken in their few close combat sorties.  Jim has already executed seven but there are at least twelve left in various states of dismemberment.  He’ll release most of the survivors back into the wilds, maybe take a few back to the Empire for the scientists to study.  After considering for another second, Jim heads to a nearby communications terminal and calls up a connection to Sickbay. 

_"What!?_ ” McCoy snarls his greeting, dark circles under his eyes highlighting his haggard, drawn features.

 

“Get your ass to my quarters,” Jim says simply.

 

“I’m busy, _Captain_ ,” McCoy growls back at him.  “I don’t have time to satisfy your need for a quick fuck right now.  Do you know how many wounded I have in…”

 

“First, when are my fucks ever quick?  Second, that wasn’t a request, _Doctor_ ,” Jim shoots back.  “Besides, I’m sure your subordinates can look after the prisoners just fine for a few hours.  Unless you’re saying they’re incompetent?” 

 

McCoy pauses at the not so subtle threat and, despite the exhaustion weighing him down, Jim still feels the spark of satisfaction he always does at causing that _exact_ look of frustrated almost apoplexy on McCoy’s reddening features. 

 

“God _dammnit_ ,” McCoy finally snarls.  “Fine!”

 

He shows up eighteen minutes later which is pushing the limits of Jim’s already frayed patience and he considers doing something painful to the other man but that would entail getting up from his bed so fuck that.

 

McCoy stomps over to the bed and glares down at him until Jim opens his eyes which he realizes now he closed again sometime after McCoy entered the room.

 

“ _Well?”_ McCoy demands.

 

“Take your clothes off,” Jim mumbles, eyes slitted to take in the large, furiously exhausted form of his Chief Physician.

 

This elicits a snarl but McCoy does it because he’s at least semi-broken in at this point and knows he won’t win.

 

“Get in bed,” Jim orders, fighting the almost overwhelming pull of sleep.  Fuck, he _must_ be exhausted if the bare form of a furious Leonard McCoy isn’t even pulling up more than a mild twinge of interest from his normally always ready for action dick.

 

One hundred and eighty pounds of furious Doctor crawls under the covers with him.  Jim muses sleepily that there’s not another person on the ship he’d allow himself to fall asleep next to but he has never once felt a true physical threat from McCoy; which is funny considering how much effort he puts into pissing him off.  But McCoy is a healer down to his bones.  It’s a weakness but it’s...convenient.

 

“Can we get this over with so I can get back to work?” McCoy sounds less furious now and more huffy, the dim lights and quiet starting to sooth his default acerbic state into something more mellow.

 

“Shut up and go to sleep,” Jim shifts and slings an arm across McCoy’s middle, getting comfortable. 

 

There’s a full five seconds of baffled silence before McCoy responds.  “Wait, you didn’t call me here to fuck?”

 

“I’m too fucking _tired_ to fucking fuck right now,” is Jim’s muffled response. 

 

“Then why the fuck am I here?”

 

Jim lifts his head enough to aim a glare.  “Because you don’t get to drive yourself into collapse for a bunch of annoying aliens who think they’re badasses,” comes his cranky response.  _Now_ McCoy wants to talk?  Jesus, usually he has to threaten conversation out of the man, or at least get him drunk.

 

“ _Kirk_ ,” McCoy’s tone is more exasperated than anything else and Jim can feel the argument gearing up in McCoy’s tired brain so he just turns his head and sinks his teeth hard into the nearest available body part. 

 

“ _Godammnit, OW!_ ” 

 

“Of course if you’re saying you _want_ to fuck someone right now, I can call security down here and you can entertain them for awhile.”  Jim can do menace in his sleep which is a good thing in this case.  Shit, the threat isn’t close to his best effort but apparently the Doc’s brain isn’t working at full capacity either, because he stiffens for a second and then gives in with a grumbled sigh.  “Fine, but I need to at least check in with…”

 

“ _McCoy_.”

 

His Chief Physician knows Jim well enough to catch the hint of real homicide that’s crawling into his voice because McCoy does the smart thing and shuts the fuck up, settling back onto the bed with a final harrumph.

 

Four hours of sleep later Jim wakes up refreshed and ready to conquer another planet of semi-badasses.  He looks over at his Chief Physician who’s still out like a light.  He’s snoring softly, mouth half open and sprawled out across his side of the bed.  Jim spends about five minutes watching him idly before he realizes what he’s doing and, rolling his eyes in disgust, climbs off the bed.  He considers waking the other man but in the end walks away to his desk to start working on his ‘Hey, look, we conquered another alien race’ report. 

 

He looks back once at the unconscious form and shakes his head.  He’ll have to be extra bastard-like to McCoy tomorrow.


End file.
